


A Stark Winter | Christmas One-Shot

by Milliadoc_Brandybuck



Series: A Stark Winter (An Avengers Series) [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Dinner, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Old Steve Rogers, tony stark is dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:15:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28286076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milliadoc_Brandybuck/pseuds/Milliadoc_Brandybuck
Summary: After the events of 'A Stark Winter', Bucky and Cady finally get to celebrate Christmas and spend Christmas Eve together as a family.**This is a chapter written for a Christmas Fanfiction Prompts Event, following the prompt: "Your OTP spend Christmas Eve together". In this case, my OTP is Cady Stark and her family**
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s)
Series: A Stark Winter (An Avengers Series) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799455
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: Christmas Prompts 2020





	A Stark Winter | Christmas One-Shot

This Christmas was going to be different. Very different. Cady had never really had a ‘normal Christmas’. She knew families the world over had their own ways of celebrating the Holidays, their own traditions. Her traditions had always changed. 

When she was a young child her traditions had been making herself microwave popcorn on Christmas Eve and sitting in front of the television to watch shows that were way older than her. Her Mom had always been away working for long weeks on end and would leave Cady to her own devices. Her Christmasses then had been very lonely and cold, and so Cady had learnt to enjoy her own company. Once Cady’s Mom had died and she really had needed to fend for herself, Cady had spent almost every Christmas in the nearby homeless shelter volunteering, and getting a meal herself. 

Once she had found her dad… things had changed. Apart from that one Christmas when they had spent the holidays trying to take down Extremis, Christmases had been enjoyable. Her Dad spent their time making up for all the Christmases that he lost in her not knowing she existed. They had strung popcorn, watched  _ Miracle on 34th Street _ , exchanged gifts and, best of all, hired caterers to make a full Christmas meal. Tony had pulled out all the stops for those Christmasses to make them special. 

Then those years of hatred had tainted their holidays. Cady, of course, had really loved her Christmases spent with Bucky. She loved him, he loved her, and spending Christmas with a partner was different to parents. They had always been very traditional. Steve had come round, they had been very traditional in their celebrations. Steve and Bucky brought what they knew and stories of their childhood Christmases. They had been companionable. But they had not been the same as holidays spent with Tony. 

Then the snap happened, and Cady found herself back with her dad but without Bucky. These Christmases were spent making them special for Jay and Morgan without letting them know how much Cady was dying inside. For five Christmases they had kept these charades and made their own traditions under the new world order. Tony made them as special as he could, bringing back all the traditions he had brought to Cady for his new family. He showered Cady especially so that she would forget, for one day, that she was a widow of the snap. The one thing he didn’t understand, however, was that Cady was grateful just to have Tony. After all those years without him she had him back. 

And so it would be very different this year. Very different. 

Tony wasn’t here anymore. 

Bucky was, and their family, but Cady couldn’t help but resent that she never got a Christmas Eve with her whole family. Her husband, her father, her son, altogether in the same room. 

“Cady?” Bucky’s voice broke Cady from her thoughts. She realised she had been absent-mindedly mashing the potatoes almost to dust. Cady looked up to where Bucky was looking at her with a concerned expression. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Cady forced a smile and put down the bowl. “Yeah, of course I am.” She didn’t seem sure. 

“Were you thinking about your dad?” Bucky asked softly. He put his hand on hers in a gesture of understanding. 

Cady nodded and couldn’t stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. Bucky pulled her close and held her for a moment. 

“Hey.” He said, “It’s okay. You’re allowed to miss him, especially today.”

“I can’t afford to break down.” Cady sobbed as she clutched her husband close. “Peter will be here any minute, and it’ll scare JT.” 

“They’ll understand.” Bucky rocked her side-to-side and stroked her hair. He could feel the pulse of her ARC reactor heart through his own chest, the last thing her father had left her. 

“What about tonight?” Cady whispered, “Even if I get through the meal… how can I function for what JT needs?”

“You have me, my love.” Bucky cupped her face in his one good hand. “You’re not alone anymore.” 

Cady met his eye and blinked at him. He was right. She wiped away her own tears and kissed him softly. “Of course.” She nodded. “Thank you.” 

“I’ll always be here for you, Cady.” Bucky stroked her cheek with his thumb. “You never have to be alone again.” 

Cady smiled at him and nodded. She knew he was right. She was allowed to miss her dad, especially at Christmas, but it didn’t have to consume her. 

The doorbell rang and JT could be heard running through the hall crying, “Peter! Peter’s here! It’s Spider-Man!” 

~*~

The evening passed in companionable joy. Peter kept JT more than a little entertained at the dinner table whilst they ate their turkey, telling him tales of how he had saved the Christmas lights from breaking by using his webs to keep them together. JT was enraptured and Cady couldn’t help wondering how lucky JT was to have a family of superheroes to look up to. She found herself starting to get emotional about Tony again so she distracted herself with getting dessert ready. As they ate the steaming pudding, Bucky and Steve, elderly as he was, reminisced about all the Christmases they had spent in their youth. Cady had heard it all before, but Peter and JT were excited to hear about how Bucky and Steve would go Christmas carolling and would stay up late to listen for Santa Claus.

“And on that note, young man…” Bucky got to his feet and scooped JT up in his one arm, swirling him around in the air. “It’s time for you to get your head down or Santa won’t come.” 

“Can’t miss Santa.” Peter added. 

Bucky set JT down and he gave Peter a big hug. 

“See you in the morning little soldier.” Peter ruffled JT’s hair. Peter would be staying for Christmas morning and heading home in the afternoon to his aunt. Pepper and Morgan were coming around for lunch on Christmas day and Cady was sure there would be more talk about Tony. She steeled herself for it, forcing herself not to cry again. She started clearing the table as Bucky pulled JT from Steve and they headed upstairs. 

“We’ll do this.” Steve got shakily to his feet. “Peter and I.” He took the plates from Cady and Peter enthusiastically joined in. “Go and put your little boy to bed.” Steve kissed Cady’s cheek gently. Cady smiled thankfully at him and followed Bucky and JT up the stairs to read  _ The Night Before Christmas _ .

~*~

By the time the clock chimed midnight on Christmas Eve, the living room was set and ready. Bucky and Cady sat on the couch together, Bucky’s one arm around her shoulders and her head on his chest. They looked at the roaring fire and the glowing Christmas tree with the presents beneath. Santa had been for Peter too, as he was here. Cady ran her hand down her husband’s chest and snuggled closer to him. He kissed the top of her head. 

“All I want for Christmas is you, Cady.” Bucky whispered. 

Cady couldn’t help but splutter with laughter and look up at him. “You old sop.”

“Made you laugh, though.” Bucky’s eyes sparkled and he kissed her. She kissed him back and then met his eye, her smile fading a little. “What?” He frowned back at her. 

“I thought this year would feel different, but…” Cady scowled, “Is it wrong that it doesn’t? I thought without Dad it would be empty but… I feel complete.” 

“Because you have your family with you.” Bucky stroked her hair from her face softly. “And your Dad is never far away.” He tapped the glowing reactor in her chest gently. “He’s a part of you, Cay.” 

Cady put her hand on his over her ARC Reactor heart and thought about his words. 

“You’re right.” Cady nodded. “And I see him in JT’s face, in Peter…” 

“Exactly.” Bucky kissed her gently again. “You should feel complete, my love. You’re surrounded by those you love, those who love you. You’re not alone and never will be again.” 

“I love you, James Buchanan Barnes.” Cady shifted so she could cup his strong jaw in her hands. He smiled and kissed her thumb as it stroked his lips. 

“And I love you, Arcadia Barnes-Stark, my savior.” He kissed her deeply and she let him. 

This Christmas was going to be different. Very different. 

But different wasn’t a bad thing. Bucky was right. Everyone Cady loved was here. That was all she needed to make Christmas magical. 


End file.
